That's very odd...
What about the strings that are on that bass right now? Do they actually have smaller ends?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
String suggestions for Epiphone Voila bass
- Thread starter dhudson
- Start date
That's very odd...
What about the strings that are on that bass right now? Do they actually have smaller ends?
Only for the record, but ball-ends can be replaced with smaller ones. It may take a little filing of the old ball-end but it can be popped out of the loop of core wire; then you put a guitar one in (unless you specifically need ball-ends of intermediate size), give the loop a squeeze over the ball and the latter'll be held by tension alone even if the loop is large.
4/15/21 Update: The D-Addario Chromes, flatwound, in medium scale did not work because of the larger ball ends - they will not fit in the tailpiece. I then ordered a set of La Bella Beatle Bass, flatwound - same issue. Just got off the phone with Gibson-Epiphone. They're indicating Gibson Brite Wire or Flatwound - SBG-LS. But looks like these either come long scale or short scale. The D-Addario and La Bella have both been mediums. Man, didn't know buying strings for this thing would be such an issue.
My last post was on behalf of the OP, @dhudson, who hasn't been able to find suitable strings for his bass because it requires smaller-than-average ball ends. Maybe he can post some pics of his bass.
picture of old string and La Bella added. This is the G.
Attachments
dhudson:
You did take the plastic identifier collars off as you fitted string, right?
La Bella puts them on so that you know which is which, but you slide them off before fitting each string.
You did take the plastic identifier collars off as you fitted string, right?
La Bella puts them on so that you know which is which, but you slide them off before fitting each string.
Appreciate that, but, yeah, I knew to take those off. See my earlier picture. The problem is the ball end are too large.
So, about ready to have a bass for sale. After contacting Gibson, I ordered, at their recommendation, a set of Gibson flat wound steel - will fit viola bass. Guess what? Nope, ball ends are also too large. Not sure where to turn next. Can’t believe that this bass is still in production and I can’t get flat strings for it. I do not feel that I should have to pay $35-$40 for strings and have to change the ball ends myself.
Attachments
@dhudson, I'm not sure I'm entirely understanding your problem. Is it just that the ball ends sit where they can be seen or is there something preventing the strings being fitted at all? Could you post a picture of the tailpiece that illustrates the problem? If it is simply that the ball ends won't dissapear into the tailpiece then surely it is a cosmetic issue but if it is something else then I can't visualise it.
LaBella flats are great but if you want the classic Macca tone from a Höfner-style violin bass you really need Pyramid Golds. THAT's the classic 60s Macca/Beatles/Höfner tone. At least on the early Beatles albums up until Revolver. Pyramid Golds were the stock strings on Höfners back then (and still are on the expensive German models).
Later Beatles albums were mostly either Rick (with Rick flats which I believe were also manufactured by Pyramid at the time) or Jazz Bass (no idea about the strings) or Höfner with Roto 88 tapewounds (on the Let it Be album).
He might have used LaBellas post-Beatles (and many other basses too of course) but LaBellas have a somewhat different tone&feel and they're NOT the classic "Höfner tone". More like classic Motown.
The classic "Höfner tone" is Pyramid Golds. It is after all what the Pyramids were specifically designed for and what Höfners were equipped with from the factory.
Of course none of this may be relevant when choosing strings for bluegrass but I though it needed to be said that great as LaBella flats are, they're NOT the classis "Höfner tone", even their "Beatle Bass"-sets (great strings though for a slightly different vibe on a Höfner, or any short scale with a tail piece for that matter).
Yes, as a fellow Beatles geek myself, you are technically correct. Paul only had Pyramids. Long, shiny ones...
Without taking the tailpiece completely off (which shouldn't be necessary to replace strings), I can't get real good pictures of how it looks. I'm not much of a drawer, but I've tried to add a diagram of what the underside of the tail piece looks like. The ball ends need to fit down in the funnel-shaped area.
Looks like strings with regular-sized ball ends should work just fine, except they end up sticking out the back of the tailpiece a little more, which shouldn't affect the overall function of the strings.
@dhudson, so it is just a cosmetic issue? You don't want to see the ball ends protruding from the tailpiece? @michael_t beat me to it. It wouldn't bother me.